The present invention relates generally to sheet material hanging methods and hanging members for use in construction of wallboard surfaces. More particularly, the present invention relates to sheet material hanging methods, wherein hanging members are utilized to facilitate the installation of sheet materials, such as wallboard, plywood or the like. Wallboard sheet materials are typically used in residential, commercial and industrial structures during both new construction and/or renovation. Wallboard products include interior gypsum drywall wallboard and exterior sheetrock, such as GYPROCK®, a product manufactured by United States Gypsum in Chicago, Ill. Other sheet materials may also be accommodated, such a plywood sheeting of exterior building surfaces, interior paneling, partitioning or the like.
When installing wallboard or the like in residential, commercial and industrial structures, it is necessary to form a wallboard surface wherein sheets of wallboard are individually hung and mated with one another such that the edges of the wallboard are positioned directly adjacent one another to form a substantially smooth surface. At the interfaces between the wallboard, support for each of the board members must be provided to ensure proper mating of the surfaces to form an aesthetically pleasing surface as well as a surface having the needed structural integrity. Heretofore, as an example, a wall or ceiling surface is formed by securing the opposing edges of an individual wallboard member to studs or joists present in the walls and/or ceilings of the structure as framed. Attachment of pieces of wallboard to the studs or joists is typically made using mechanical fasteners, such as nails, staples or threaded screws, although adhesives may also be used. Studs or joists present in the walls and/or ceilings of a structure are normally placed a relatively constant predetermined distance apart, typical distances being twelve (12) inches, sixteen (16) or twenty four (24) inches from the centerline of one stud or joist to the centerline of the next stud or joist. Furthermore, pieces of wallboard, such as gypsum drywall wallboard, are normally fabricated to a predetermined size, typical sizes varying from four (4) or four and one half (4½) feet in width by eight (8), ten (10), twelve (12) feet, fourteen (14) and sixteen (16) in length. In some cases, rounded structures may be formed by suitable framing and bending of the sheet material.
Although in theory the wallboard sizes and stud or joist spacing should facilitate securing the edge of the board to a stud or joist without having to cut or otherwise modify the wallboard, variations are present in the sizes of wallboard and/or the positioning of studs or joists. Further, in many instances, the studs or joists are not compatibly arranged due to the configuration of the structure or building itself, or the placement of the studs or joists are not arranged in uniform spaced relationship, which particularly may occur at or near corners of the structure. Additionally, variations can occur due to, for example, material tolerances and expansion, contraction, bending and/or warpage of the studs or joists, as well as mismeasurement and/or mislocation of the studs or joists during framing of the structure. In addition, significant dimensional variations are often present in pieces of wallboard due to manufacturing tolerances, as well as material expansion, contraction and/or warpage. Further, in some situations, the framer simply cannot evenly space studs, and the room or roof configuration may require framing which would not accommodate normal hanging procedures, due to building structures such as hip roofs or the like. Accordingly, opposing edges of the wallboard often do not align with a stud, joist or another existing structural member as desired. Therefore, it is currently customary practice for an installer to initially measure the particular relationship of studs or joists in the area to which the wallboard is to be applied, and then to cut a standard piece of wallboard to fit the particular arrangement of studs/joists or the like. It should be recognized that any such cutting or trimming results in waste or “scrap” since the entire piece of wallboard is not being utilized. In some cases, an installer may attempt to select particular pieces of wallboard for installation in particular locations, which although potentially saving some scrap, requires relatively sophisticated calculation and planning, which in turn requires a more highly skilled installer and significant labor and time. In addition, even if a wallboard edge does fall on a stud or joist, problems still exist in properly securing the board edges to the stud or joist due to its relatively small size. The nails, screws or other securing devices must be located directly adjacent the edge, thereby weakening this area of the board and promoting the likelihood of nail popping or the like.
In typical installation procedures, based upon the foregoing problems encountered by installers, it is customary practice to place cut edges, when possible, into corner joints and to use factory cut edges in interior joints. However, this is not always feasible and, particularly when multiple cuts are made to the wallboard pieces, situations occur when the cut edges, are used at an interior wall or ceiling joint. This typically requires additional time and effort in achieving a smooth and straight cut and, even so, may result in a less than desirable match-up between adjacent wallboard pieces in an interior joint. It would thus be desirable to minimize the need to cut standard wallboard members in the installation on a wall/ceiling frame structure. Additionally, at corner portions of the structure, the boards must be fit to the corner, and do not allow access to the corner stud on the next wall section. This requires the installer to consume time in properly securing the next wallboard section at the corner. In other instances, the framing configuration makes it extremely difficult to efficiently position wallboard, and if the installer is to avoid a large amount of scrap, the layout for the room or the like must be considered prior to installation. It would be worthwhile to provide a system and method wherein the time and effort needed to layout the positioning of the individual wallboard members is eliminated.